Crohn’s disease can’t stop Adira Truthe’s show

When 25-year-old Adira Truthe was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at age 17, the aspiring commercial pilot was distraught, because her condition meant she could no longer pursue her dreams.

But, after years of learning to accept her incurable condition, she has found joy in the new path created for her. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that results in persistent and chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, which extends from the stomach to the anus. It can cause severe abdominal pain, constant diarrhoea, as well as fatigue and other symptoms. Ever since she was a toddler, Truthe, whose mother also has the condition, has been experiencing these symptoms.

"I remember as a child I struggled with bowel movements. I had no appetite, I struggled to keep on weight, and up until I was 19, I was only 102 pounds. I was nauseous all the time, fatigued, and as young as I was, I had constant joint pain, headaches," Truthe explained.

After being diagnosed, Truthe told THE STAR that she was left feeling betrayed by her body.

"Because [I was saying to it], 'I've done everything for you right, and now you failed me,'" Truthe said. "As an adult, it's very hard to do things that are spontaneou,s because I don't know what condition my body will be in. It means I have to lower my stress levels, it also meant I had to make a career change." Truthe said that she had already started the application process to pursue her studies in aviation when she got her diagnosis.

"The first thing I did was check if I still could [apply] and at the time when I looked at the requirements, I had to be symptom-free for an extended amount of time. Then, thinking about the stress of a commercial pilot on the go, it wasn't the best choice because stress makes me sick," Truthe explained. Truthe also admitted that she had a crisis of faith after her diagnosis.

"Being that I was raised Adventist, still Adventist, it felt like God dangled a dream in front of me and took it away from me at a moment's notice," she said.

However, after much prayer and three years of taking time to grapple with her loss and new normal, Truthe started teaching performing arts at the Linton's Academy Services, which helped to shift her perspective.

"I still grieve it, but I'm happy to have found my home in theatre and performing because that's also one of my loves," said Truthe. She said that although she has to take 16 pills daily, she's grateful that to some extent, she is able to have a normal life.

"I am thankful that I am able to work and have a career and volunteer and perform; the things that I love," said Truthe, who is currently a student at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus, pursuing a bachelor's of arts degree in journalism. After completing her studies, she has plans to secure a private pilot licence, so she can leisurely fly small planes and helicopters.

Still, one of Truthe's greatest missions is to spread awareness about Crohn's disease.

"I so would love to have a support group for persons with this disease, because modern medicine has only known about Crohn's disease for less than 90 years; that's not a lot of time," Truthe said. "They still don't know what causes it, they don't know how to cure it. They only know how to treat the symptoms, and for Crohn's patients, we need more than that."